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Thread: Fact or Scaremongering?

  1. #1
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    Default Fact or Scaremongering?

    I have read in several places that lasers can blind pilots, is this really likely?
    On Monday, a laser beam was directed into the cockpit of a commercial jet flying about 15 miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at an altitude of between 8,500 feet and 10,000 feet, FBI special agent Robert Hawk said. It was determined the laser came from a residential area in suburban Warrensville Heights.
    I would think it is impossible to aim a laser at a pilots eye, at the levels needed to cause damage from a distance of 8-10Km, when the plane is traveling at circa 500MPH.

    Loren Thompson , who teaches military technology at Georgetown University, said a piece of equipment that could do the things the FBI is investigating would be "fairly expensive and fairly sophisticated."
    He characterized it as a reasonably powerful visible light laser that can lock onto a fast-moving aircraft. "That's not the sort of thing you pick up at a military surplus store," he said.
    I would think the worst that a pilot would see is no worse than the reflection from pools etc. when you are flying on a sunny day!

    So what do you think?
    Fact or Scaremongering?

    Jim

    BTW I am not suggesting anybody should do it.

    Quotes are taken from this Fox News report http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,143005,00.html

  2. #2
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  3. #3
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    Reading that Q&A, it appears that the only person who has been prosecuted for this is David Banach from New Jersey.
    The flash images that it shows are from a simulator and the only real problem was at 500ft away which would be pretty much on the airfield/airport, although the report is based on a <5mW pointer.
    It does appear that over in the States, "Big Brother", regulates lasers far more strictly than here in Europe.
    In the UK it is pretty common for audience scanning. Next they will be regulating how load concerts can be.

    Jim

  4. #4
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    Read this link: http://www.skywise711.com/lasers/APSA.html

    It's not new but still intresting.
    You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!

  5. #5
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    funny i found this post... I being located in Cleveland was contacted by the fbi concerning my lasers at my nightclub and if any were portable enough to have been taken or borrowed by someone. They also knew that I have a full color laser that was doing graphics on these large white towers next to my club. Which of course is not by the area they had the reports from, but they asked me to remove my outside lasers due to being withing 1 mile of Clevelands Burke Front Airport! Who says big brother isnt watching you ! LOL

    here is a small video of my full color whitelight 5w pilot blinder i had outside...now inside the club

    http://www.metropolis-cleveland.com/..._site/pvd.html
    Last edited by jsalopeck; 02-16-2007 at 10:10. Reason: added link

  6. #6
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    So you got a varience for crowd scanning!

    Jim

  7. #7
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    no...we keep it legal... upper areas of my club are shielded by dark cloth material that blocks it from reaching those areas..and we keep the beams well over 15 foot or so above the crowd. We have 3 variances for all 3 of our setups..

  8. #8
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    HOLY SHIT... i just watched my own video and my laser operator is now getting fired!!! i never realised he adj that down for that show... damn i could get royaly fubared for that... they are tough in cleveland on the variance thing. Thanks for making me wonder why you asked that. The guy has been with me for 6 years!!!


    i enjoy putting stuff together and programming the stuff... but owning a club i cannot always be ontop of everything... fullauto has that option o hitting the "d" key to enable global adj of postion for the entire show. Im rellay pissed he scanned the crowd.. and no ive never seen that happen in my own club until now.
    Last edited by jsalopeck; 02-16-2007 at 17:33.

  9. #9
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    normal shows scan this way at my place... damn my operator is toast when i get to work in an hour

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC8d1_3mFDk


    now this Metropolis on youtube is for sure illegal... this is NOT my club.... DAMN

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9sL7UyjzrA
    Last edited by jsalopeck; 02-16-2007 at 18:14.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by jsalopeck View Post
    now this Metropolis on youtube is for sure illegal... this is NOT my club.... DAMN

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9sL7UyjzrA

    Holly shit. beams off bounce mirrors, straight into the crowd. That is the most unsafe show i have seen in my life.
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